Concerns raised over alleged grabbing of 4 public schools' land in Nandi

NANDI: Four public schools are at risk of being closed after two former teachers in the schools claimed ownership of the land where they are located.

Kemeloi Girls Secondary, Kemeloi Mixed Day Secondary, Kemeloi Boarding Primary and Kemeloi Day Primary School’s board Chairman Erick Ng’arng’ar has accused Gilbert Julius Karan and John Barno of grabbing 45 acres of land where the four schools co-exist.

Mr Ng’arng’ar said they visited the Lands Office in Kapsabet to begin the process of acquiring title deeds for the schools, only to discover that the entire land belonging to the four schools was already in the ownership of the two gentlemen.

“We also discovered that the two had gone a step further and placed a caution on the title deed to prevent the schools’ management from accessing the title or changing ownership,” he said.

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The board chairman revealed that Barno and Karan were once teachers in the schools in the 1970s where, for lack of staff housing, they were allowed by the community and schools’ board at the time to put up personal structures for their housing.

“This being a community land, the community agreed to give the two some space to construct individual housing since the school was underdeveloped at the time,” he said.

He however added that the two gentlemen used the opportunity and the community’s kindness to secretly claim ownership of the entire land.

Aldai MP Cornelly Serem, who visited the schools during a crisis meeting called to address the problem, confirmed that the land had indeed been grabbed.

“We are now following up the case with the Lands Commission and have doubled the schools’ security to ensure their operations are not disrupted by the grabbers,” he said.

Despite being evicted from the school land, family members of Barno and Karan insist the land belongs to them and that the two former teachers had bought the land from the community.

“We want the schools administrators to stop putting up more structures, we are not giving up ownership of the land, my father together with several other teachers bought the land from the community as a share basis,” said a son to Barno, who pleaded anonymity.

Mr Serem said the issue had caused tension in the community, adding that residents had vowed to protect the land at all costs.

“The community feels entitled to this land and information that it has been grabbed has caused tension among residents,” the legislator said.

If the issue is not resolved, over 1,000 students now risk being displaced while some 50 employees, including teachers, could end up losing their jobs.

The schools’ board is now calling on the Lands commission to free the schools’ title deed.